Reprieve
by Natsuhiboshi
Summary: Threeshot. Part Three: Salvation. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she is hopeless once more.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I haven't uploaded anything in so long but I've had so many feelings about Korra that there was no way I could pass this up. I understand that Tahno is probably a little OOC and that some details are weird but I just had to get this out. Mostly for my sanity but also for your pleasure (if this story is up to par with your expectations, of course). Either way, here it is. Thank you for reading and please review!**

* * *

**Reprieve**

_She just needed a friend._

* * *

The cold morning air nips at her skin and for a moment she remembers the frozen tundra of the South Pole. The walls and guard towers shaped from glaciers, igloos that stood proud and tall, the sound of her father's swords cutting through chill and ice, and the smell of her mother's home cooked meals.

She remembers a time of peace, where her duties as Avatar were nothing more than the act of mastering all four elements; where she was coddled and protected and Amon and his ambitions were a part of stories her mother would weave for her.

But that was a long time ago and Korra knows that it's time for new memories; darker, more frightening and painful, but memories nonetheless. She can only hope that the Avatar after her is not plagued with the same fear she is feeling now. She can only hope that the Avatar after her can channel the Spirit World the way she cannot.

It has been five, long, strenuous months since the war against Amon began and Korra has barely mastered the basics of airbending. Republic City is holding strong despite Lin Beifong's resignation as chief of police and Tarrlok's faulty laws have come in to play. And while the city and its people struggle to retain their identity, Korra is still trying to find hers.

Bolin and Mako are learning the art of bending in an environment where anything goes; in a place where referees do not exist to call fouls and where mistakes mean death – not the loss of chance to hold a golden trophy.

Asami fights with the demon inside of her that takes the shape of her father when she isn't looking.

Tenzin and Lin think together and whisper about the activities of the Council, of Tarrlok, and of rumors that Master Katara and Fire Lord Zuko are to arrive on Air Temple Island to see the newest threat to the balance of the world themselves.

Pema is being a mother, not just to her own children but to the ones she has gladly taken in. Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo are being strong despite their age – strong for everyone, especially their father and Korra knows that they are being strong for her too.

She only wishes that her friends, the ones who are supposed to understand her the most, were doing the same. But they are trying to put their own lives together and she isn't going to ask them to do more.

Even if she needs them so much that it hurt.

When Mako wraps his arms around Asami and Bolin laughs with them, Korra watches and does not wait for them to ask her to join them.

Because they don't ask.

They never do.

* * *

She senses him before she actually knows he's there.

Her whole body tingles; an unnerving sensation that begins at the back of her neck and travels down her spine and she _feels _him the way she feels the water in the air, the way she can sense the rhythm of the waves, and hear the hum of whirlpools.

"Hello, Avatar."

Silver eyes like she's never seen on a waterbender stare back at her. She notices he has improved in appearance and confidence since the last time she saw him at the police station a mere few hours after Amon had robbed him of his bending.

"Tahno." She dips her head courteously because he isn't an enemy. He had never been an enemy.

"Councilman Tenzin has you out running errands, hm?" The arrogant drawl is back and Korra finds comfort in his calmness. She still blames herself for his predicament but knowing he is still technically _Tahno _lessens the guilt a little.

"Just some extra things needed for dinner tonight." She replies tonelessly, weighing a few apples in her hand before choosing the ones that look best.

"I'm surprised the Fabulous Bending Brothers aren't keeping you company." She can feel Tahno's cobblestone eyes burn holes into the back of her head. "Are they too busy with the Sato girl?"

"Mako is." Korra answers flatly. "Bolin is…" she trails off, "I don't really know where he is. We don't talk much anymore. Most of the time he's with Mako and Asami. He may be following them."

She smiles softly at the vendor before turning on her heel to buy the next thing on the list Pema has given her. She tries to quell the annoyance that rises when she finds him following her. He doesn't say anything for awhile but when he does it makes her stop.

"So you're _alone_."

The way he says it strikes a nerve in her. At first she is angry but her rage dies faster than a storm and is replaced with fatigue. She's tired of people telling her things she already knows.

"In every sense of the word." She agrees and then continues walking.

He follows her some more and she isn't surprised.

She doesn't understand why she's entertaining him but she can't find it in herself to try and shake him. She just wants to finish shopping and then go home.

But then she realizes that _home _is in the South Pole with her mother and father and Master Katara and she is _nowhere _nearher home and it makes her chest tighten.

"Don't you have something to do, Tahno? Some girls to date or some other people to harass?"

He doesn't answer so she doesn't ask anymore. She just walks.

* * *

The war is raging – it is in the way people walk, in the way they whisper, in the way fear dances in their eyes. Tahno isn't stupid. He knows danger when it's real and Amon and his men are as dangerous as something can get.

But he believes in Korra.

Not only because she is the Avatar but simply because she is Korra and he had been a firsthand witness to her strength. Despite her command of water, Tahnno understands that her soul _burns_. She is an inferno. Passionate, willful, determined, courageous, and loyal. To him she resembles a torch in a lonely tunnel or a candle in a blackened room.

But the Korra he is looking at now is not the Korra he knew.

She has paled, dimmed. Like a flame trapped, she shudders and dwindles. It is as if her heart, the fire that pulsed and raged within her body, had been snuffed.

He frowns.

This was not the woman he had trusted.

This was not the Avatar.

"What are you doing, Korra?" he asks. He watches her tense before her shoulders drop. "You're not fighting me at all. I'd actually say you're a little boring."

"More like tired." She throws over her shoulder. "I just want to go home."

"So now you're running."

She turns to look at him. "I meant the Air Temple." But her voice quivers and he looks at her firmly. "You and I both know that's not what you meant."

She lifts one shoulder. "Think what you want."

His gaze intensifies. "Haven't you ever heard the saying that home is where the heart is? I hated this place when I first came here too, you know. But I met Ming and Shaozu and I found my heart here. I found pro-bending. My friends," he watches as her jaw twitches at the word, "is what made me love Republic City."

Korra smirks a little, bitter. "You have good friends. And there wasn't a war when you got here. I'm sure you're trying to _comfort _me, despite the absurdity of the idea, but your situation differs greatly from mine, Tahno. I carry the weight of the world on my shoulders."

"You can share that weight." He says coolly.

Korra smiles now, and there is a sadness in her eyes that contradicts her smile but Tahno can see the way her lips shake and he knows it is fake. "No one wants this weight. No one cares. There's only one Avatar and only the Avatar can restore balance to the world."

"There is also only one Korra," Tahno explains softly.

She shakes her head disbelievingly. "Empathy from the pompous Wolfbat. Amon has changed people in more ways than one." She comments ruefully.

"Not too much," Tahno replies. "Have you ever tried getting angry, Avatar?"

Korra blinks. "I'm sorry?"

"Anger." Tahno reiterates. "You used to be very good at it."

She shakes her head. "I've been too tired."

He smirks. When his tapered fingers wrap around her wrist and he pulls her along she does not protest. It feels good to be tangible so she lets Tahno drag her through the streets.

* * *

The gym is old.

The equipment is barely functioning and she wonders why he even uses the place if nothing works. Then she remembers Tahno can't bend and the guilt returns tenfold.

He lets go of her and strides purposefully to the other end of the room, fingers working to unbutton his coat. She looks at him puzzled.

He turns to her, quirks an eyebrow, and begins to remove his shirt. "You're going to spar with me in a parka and your groceries in one hand?"

Her eyebrows shoot upwards. "Spar?"

Tahno chuckles and it is deep and throaty. "Yes." He discards his shirt somewhere to the left and begins to wrap his hands in bandages. "You can use bending if you want," he offers, "But the fight won't last very long since you'll kick my ass. If you want something that'll test your endurance you'll have to fight me bare."

She smiles slightly. "So you admit I'm stronger."

"I've always known you're stronger," Tahno replies nonchalantly. "But I know I can also hold my own. Just because you're good doesn't mean I'm going to let you throw me around." He looks at her. "You're not tired. You're numb and let me tell you, Avatar, that's shitty."

He pulls the end of the bandage tight around his palm. He brings the cloth to his teeth and rips. "So get angry. Let it all out. Agni knows you won't lash out at those brothers, that heiress, or your airbending instructor and you have no one else to yell at. So yell at me. You need a punching bag and I'll offer you my services. I need a little bit of exercise myself."

He finishes with his preparation and looks at her. She has shed her coat, groceries, and even her own shirt preferring to train in her wraps. "So," he asks, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Weapon of choice?"

"These," she answers and there is a hint of eagerness in her voice as she lifts her fists.

"Give me your best shot, little girl." He smirks.

She drops into a stance and snorts, "Don't blame me if I trash your face, _pretty boy_."

The spark in her eyes is evident and Tahno thinks, _That's my girl_, just before she strikes him.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I have no idea what to feel about this. Leave your thoughts via reviews please! I hope you like it; I just let my feelings flow. :3 Thanks for your time!**

* * *

**Sentinel**

_She understands that protecting someone sometimes means trusting in their own strength._

* * *

His clenched fists dart effortlessly, elegant but dangerous, as they battle like panthers. Every strike is nothing but a flash and she relishes in the heavy feel of his fists biting her flesh. She will bruise, like always, but it's okay because the pain in her muscles lessens the pain in her chest.

She dodges, ducks, and strikes back; their movements match and Korra notices their spar is akin to a dance where the music is nothing but the sound of their breaths and flesh breaking flesh. He swipes at her face and she barely gets away, his pale knuckles nicking her temple. His motions are fluid and Korra admires that even if Amon took his ability to bend water, Tahno is still a waterbender.

She realizes it will end in just a few moments, _just a few more_, and then she's on her back, blinking rapidly at the form that towers over her form.

"I win."

She pushes herself onto her elbows and catches the towel he sends flying her way and she takes the time to wipe the sweat that's collected on her forehead and the back of her neck. "We're even." She says after a few minutes.

He shrugs, "If you say so but the collective result isn't important is it? Each battle is its own and I win this one."

Korra watches him as he rubs his towel through his damp hair. Silver eyes close as he takes a long swig from his water bottle and she lifts her hand just in time to catch the bottle he throws at her. "Drink." He orders.

She doesn't though because she's curious about the way he fights. They've been sparring for weeks now, and even though she knows they really are even her victories are barely triumphs. She only ever wins by a margin. "What's your secret?" she finally asks.

"Don't have one." He says.

"Don't be stingy, Tahno." She whines lightheartedly. "Share some of your tricks."

He looks at her, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards. "So _now _you want my private lessons, eh, little girl? What the hell do you think we've been doing? You want to know my secrets then pay attention when you fight me."

"Stingy." Korra huffs again.

"Practical." Tahno corrects. "You don't go up to someone and demand to know their techniques. You don't do that to a chi blocker, do you?"

Korra laughs, "Fine, I get it."

They lapse into a comfortable silence before he disturbs the quiet with a simple inquiry that makes her heart stutter.

"How are your friends?" he asks and she knows he's not mocking; he uses the term 'friends' because that is what Mako, Asami, and Bolin are even if things have been rough. She sighs softly, falling on her back and folding her arms behind her head to stare at the crusted ceiling of the old gym. "Better," she answers and it is true. She and Mako are talking again, slowly, and she can safely call Asami her closest friend aside from the oldest airbending child and her friendship with Bolin has simply picked up from where it was left off.

The tension has all but disappeared and Korra can safely say she feels supported but a part of her wonders just how long this will last. She still fears that when the real war begins she will be forced to fight alone. Korra the girl needs friends but Korra the Avatar needs warriors and she isn't sure if her friends are ready to give up everything for the balance of the world. They aren't bound by duty.

She smiles at him. "How are Ming and Shaozu?"

Tahno waves his hand and snorts, "Eh. Running around somewhere."

The sound of a tolling bell reverberates through the air and Korra is on her feet in a flash. "I should get back. I can't be late for dinner again; Tenzin will kill me."

"See ya tomorrow." Tahno salutes and Korra grins.

* * *

Tahno watches her go and his eyes droop in boredom. He had been expecting to hear good news about the bending brothers and the Sato girl; Korra has been sharper, lighter on her feet, and for the past few spars he had actually been breaking a sweat.

He's glad that the firebending dolt actually made an effort to fix things with her. He glances at his equipment and begins to pack. And then he feels it. The air ripples with a sinister change and he sighs, "Not again." But he isn't really surprised.

He tosses the towel over his shoulder.

"What are you waiting for?" he drawls into the open air. "Hurry up, already."

There is a flash of green and Tahno stares into the eyes of demons.

* * *

She stares at them long and hard and she's confused because Tahno isn't with them. They are at the docks, bags in hand, ready to board a ship bound for the Fire Nation. She is thoroughly confused because a part of her thinks that Tahno will be there and how come he never told her anything?

She approaches them cautiously, calling out to them, "Ming! Shaozu!"

The former Wolfbats turn to greet her, Ming with a small smile and Shaozu with a polite nod. "Avatar Korra," Ming says, "hello."

Korra spares a glance at their bags and then at the boat and says, "You're leaving."

"I have a family to return to," Shaozu explains, "And Ming over here doesn't have anywhere else to go so he'll be freeloading with me. There isn't anything left for us here."

She asks carefully, "And Tahno?"

"He's made his decision." Ming answers. "We wish we're as brave," the former earthbender sighs, "but we can't do what he asked of us."

"And what," Korra begins, even though she knows deep inside exactly what Ming is going to say, "did he ask you to do?"

Shaozu and Ming return her gaze without flinching and their eyes tell Korra a thousand things at once. Their silence reveals secrets, sparks a revelation and Korra knows everything she needs to know in a moment. She bids them a hasty farewell and wishes them luck before her legs spur her in the direction of Tahno's apartment; thoughts in disarray and words stuck in her throat.

She doesn't have a plan and she knows she isn't thinking straight but she's doing what she does best; she's doing something she hasn't done in awhile: she's acting on impulse.

* * *

Tahno is nursing his hideous black eye.

It's glaring at him like the lights on a Satomobile and he gingerly lets his fingers brush against the swollen flesh. A hiss pushes past clenched teeth and he presses a bag of ice to his wound. The stinging lessens ever so slightly and he plops himself down onto the wooden chair.

The apartment is quieter, cleaner, _lonelier _without Ming and Shaozu to mess it all up and Tahno hopes that the two of them will be okay. He's a little put out that he doesn't get to see them off at the docks but with the bulging eye he's sporting and the chance of seeing Korra he decides that discretion is the better part of valor.

The last thing he needs is the Avatar asking questions.

He tries to ignore the fact that he has to see her later for their routine spar but he decides that he'll just make up a story then.

And when the sound of a knuckle hitting the door to his apartment rings in the empty silence Tahno cannot help but wonder what in Spirit's name Shaozu has forgotten now. But when he opens the door he sees the one person he doesn't want to see.

"Oh," he says, the monosyllable escaping his lips before he can stop himself.

He watches as the Avatar's eyes spark and rage like the sea during a storm and he steps back when she shoves past him and stalks to his room. He follows her.

She is ripping through his closet like a hurricane, stuffing his duffel bag with clothes and the ridiculously useless things he has on his bedside table. "What are you doing?" he asks. She doesn't answer and his irritation spikes because she's clearly being unreasonable. "Korra," he repeats, "what are you _doing_?"

She looks at him. "I can't believe you didn't tell me."

He's confused. "What?"

"I should've known," Korra says, moving again as she shoves his hair products into the depths of the bag. "I should've _known_. I'm such an idiot. Amon will do anything to upset me, to get at me and now that Mako and the others aren't in the city he goes for the next best thing. You need to get out of here; even if you don't make the ship that Ming and Shaozu are on then you can catch the next one."

Tahno blinks, his mind trying to understand the nonsense she is spewing.

"How long have the Equalists been tailing you, Tahno?" Korra asks. "I can't believe you didn't say anything. I noticed the bruises during spars but I just thought I got you without noticing." She zips up the bag and launches it at his chest. "If you don't get out of her Amon will just keep sending his men and you'll get killed. Leave here; Republic City can't offer you anything anymore."

"You're kicking me out of my own apartment?"

She turns to him violently, "_Leave here!_" she all but snarls, "You're in danger."

His irritation reaches levels beyond his comprehension and he throws his bag onto the floor and steps toward her. "What are you talking about?" he sneers back. "Everyone is in danger, _Avatar_. You know that. I'm not going anywhere. Ming and Shaozu made their decision and I have made mine. They're leaving and I'm staying. They have the dignity to understand my wishes so maybe you should display the same respect."

"You need to go with them."

"I'm not going anywhere."

She glares at him. "You're just going to get in everybody's way! You'll get in my way. You can't help me, Tahno. _You can't even bend_!"

The comment is meant to hurt but Tahno scoffs at her childish attempt to push him away. "You've got to try harder than that, Korra. You need as many friends as you can get and I'm one of them. I am _not _leaving. Amon took my bending but he didn't take my spirit. He needs to learn that robbing someone of their ability to manipulate an element doesn't mean robbing them of hope. I'm not the boy I used to be and I want to thank Amon personally for his help."

She shakes her head. "I can't let my friends get hurt."

"This is what your problem is." Tahno says. "_This._ Your refusal to accept help when it's offered. You feel alone and you know that you can't this by yourself but when assistance is given to you, you refuse. Stop with the contradictions. You're the Avatar for fuck's sake so act like it."

She lifts her head to stare at him and she swallows roughly. "You're a jerk."

"I'm your friend." Tahno says. "And I'm going to call things the way I see them. Get used to it."

Korra looks away but then looks back at him. "You're staying. Fine. But on one condition."

"Lay it on me, Korra."

"You're staying with me on Air Temple Island."

She waits for his response, not knowing what he's going to say. She doesn't want him to think that this is pity or that she's doing this because she doesn't believe in him. She wants to make it clear that she's doing this because she cares, even if that notion would've been considered preposterous some time ago. She understands that protecting someone sometimes means trusting their own strength but this isn't about protecting Tahno; this is about caring for him.

She looks at him expectantly.

* * *

They're standing on the bottom steps leading toward the open practice area when she sees them. Bolin waves cheerily, not yet noticing the presence next to her. Then she sees Mako tense, Asami looks surprised, and Bolin's expression changes from happiness to uncertainty.

"They look overjoyed," Tahno deadpans.

Korra swallows nervously. Her heart thunders in her chest and she's nervous, so nervous, because she wants – _needs _– this to work. War is in the city and she doesn't need it here too, not when things have gotten so much better. And then Korra sees Asami walking towards them and Korra knows that Asami understands her and she is relieved.

Asami stops within reach of Tahno, a smile on her face and arm outstretched. "Hey Tahno," she says warmly albeit hesitantly. "Good to have you here."

Tahno doesn't have to look at Korra to know what she's hoping for and he realizes now that he's willing to give her whatever she wants. He's made his choice. He releases his hold on the duffel bag and wraps his hand around Asami's. His grip is firm, confident, a sign of peace. "Glad to be here." He says.

Beside him, Korra smiles and Tahno allows himself to smile a little too.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: The last part - shorter, unedited, and I love every single word of it. Enjoy :)**

* * *

**Salvation**

_So instead she smiles, breathes, and lets it all come forward._

* * *

Once upon a time she had dreamed of this.

She had dreamed of the moment when she could stand over his kneeling form in a state of vindictive triumph; him in a state of submissive remorse and reluctant surrender. In her dreams outside of Amon and a battle she had no idea how to fight, she saw herself in control of the chaos that was Tahno.

But now that it is reality, now that he is kneeled before her, expectant and hopeful, with eyes like the glaciers she has always loved, Korra realizes that _this _is what she is really waiting for. This moment where she stands before Tahno not as a winner but as something more.

She stands before him as salvation.

She wiggles her feet and stretches her arms out as soon as she is grounded into the earth. She has one hand pressed against Tahno's forehead and the other pressed against his chest.

"You should close your eyes," she advises sagely, her voice akin to the howl of the wind on a particularly stormy arctic evening.

"Not a chance, girlie."

"I don't know if this is going to work."

He quirks an eyebrow and she acknowledges how utterly preposterous she sounds; she had given Chief Beifong and nearly a dozen other people their bending back but she is still scared and uncertain. It means more with Tahno; she understands that it will devastate her completely if somehow she fails. She had been helpless in the face of Tahno's loss – completely useless as she watched Amon tear a piece of Tahno's soul.

She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she is hopeless once more.

"If it doesn't work then it doesn't work." Tahno's declaration is said with acceptance not resignation and Korra wonders if she misheard him. "Don't look at me like that. If suddenly this whole Avatar thing is going to stop working or if I'm deemed too awful of a person to regain what was stolen from me then so be it. You aren't at fault. You're the Avatar, Korra. A vassal for the spirits, a portal to the Spirit World, and a keeper of balance. You did what you could for me and that's enough." He shrugs. "I can still be Tahno, with or without bending. I've _been _Tahno. I'm not worried so you shouldn't be either. So come on. _Go for it_."

She wants to say something, to let him know that his words have lifted a burden off of her shoulder like nothing else could but she can't find the words. So instead she smiles, breathes, and lets it all come forward.

In a rush of light, a burst of warmth, and a swell of energy she feels something churn in her belly and burn her veins. There's the sound of a distant roaring an uplifting, joyous, exclamation of something that reminds Korra of summers hunting with her father, evenings in the kitchen with her mother, and lessons of healing with Master Katara by the light of the full moon.

And the cries turn into something that reminds Korra of the tremendous love she feels for Tahno; the boy, the man, the bender, the warrior.

Then there is nothing but light and the cold of the frigid arctic air and Tahno.

Nothing but Tahno and her and the way he rises.

And with his eyes like glaciers he lifts his palms and the water bursts from beneath them and all around them very much the same way her heart is over-full from laughter and awe.

And love. So much love.

She barks out a watery laugh caught between relief and disbelief but Tahno stops the soon-to-be tears by tangling his hands into her hair and drawing her close, so close that their breaths mingle and she can _feel _her name as he says it.

"I love you."

The only thing Korra can remember after that is the taste of his lips and the rumble of the sea.

* * *

_Fin._


End file.
